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“Yeah, I was. I just had to go to the bathroom.”
“In the library?”
“I just stopped in here to…” Right. What the hell am I going to say to my mother? I stopped in here for a quick fuck with Callie Pike because my adrenaline is on speed. You and Dad have been lying to me for years.
“I don’t care, Donny. Let’s just go. For God’s sake.”
“Right, Mom. I’ll be there in a few.”
“No. Now. Come on. This party is for you.” She grabs my arm and pulls me into the hallway.
Damn. Callie. Callie in the closet.
I’ll come back for her.
I follow Mom out to the deck. Dad has taken over for Darla at the grill, and Dale is talking to Bree and Jesse Pike by the stage where Jesse’s band will perform later.
“Here he is!” Mom calls. “The man of the hour!”
And then they’re on me.
Everyone. Hugging. Kissing. Shaking my hand.
“Good to have you home, Don!”
“An exciting career move!”
“Will you be taking over for your mother soon?”
“The Snow Creek ladies will be thrilled you’re back!”
I talk to everyone who greets me, answering their questions as best I can as seconds turn into minutes. Ten. Twenty.
Darla brings me a plate containing a double burger and a heap of Aunt Marj’s special potato salad, which everyone knows I love.
Mom brings me a margarita, and Uncle Ryan taps on a champagne flute.
“Does everyone have a drink?” Ryan asks. “It’s time for our toast.”
Dale leaves Jesse and Bree and helps Uncle Ryan fill flutes of Steel sparkling wine.
Callie. I’ve got to go get Callie.
But I can’t get away. Someone is hugging me or shaking my hand, and then Uncle Ryan and Dad somehow get to the microphone on the makeshift stage for the band.
“Hey, everyone,” Dad says, his voice amplified. “Thanks so much for coming. I hope you’ve all filled your plates. There’s plenty more for seconds. We’ll have Jesse and Dragonlock performing up here in a bit, but first, Jade and I would like to welcome back our second born into the Steel family fold. Donny, come on up here!”
Crap. I’m sorry, Callie.
I make my way to the stage, where Mom has also joined Dad and Uncle Ry. She grabs me in a hug and whispers, “I’m so glad you’ve come home.”
I kiss her cheek quickly and stand beside Dad.
“I’ll have Ryan do the toast,” Dad says, “since he’s much more eloquent than I am. Plus he made this awesome sparkling wine.”
“If that’s the case,” Ryan says, “I should have Dale come up here. He’s our new winemaker after this season. And he’s Donny’s brother. Come on up, Dale.”
“Sorry,” Dale says from the peanut gallery. “Just got a text from Ashley. She and Willow just got to the guesthouse. I have to help with the luggage.”
I force a laugh. “Good one, bro,” I say into the microphone. “Anything to avoid making a spectacle of yourself.”
Dale smiles, holds up his phone, and begins to walk toward the guesthouse while everyone laughs.
Yeah, I’m still pissed at my brother, but I won’t ruin my mom’s party for anything. All I want right now is to get this toast over with so I can get back to Callie. Will she leave the closet and come back out without my okay? I hope so, but what if she doesn’t?
“So Donny,” Ryan begins, “when you went off to college thirteen years ago, determined to become a high-powered lawyer, none of us thought you’d return to Snow Creek for good. But here you are, and we couldn’t be happier. I know your mom is especially thrilled that you’ll be working together. So here’s to you. Welcome home!”
Glasses clink.
“Speech, speech!” someone—I think it’s Brock, damn him—yells.
Ryan moves out of the way to give me access to the mic.
And all I can think about is Callie holed up in that closet. How long has it been now? A half hour at least, probably longer.
“I just want to thank all of you for coming over tonight. Part of me feels like I never really left the western slope, and it’s great to be back. Thanks to my mom and Aunt Marj for planning this affair. Thanks to Jesse, my old football pal, for the music to come. It’s honestly great to see all of you and to know I’ll be here for a while. Cheers!” I take a sip of my margarita.
“Cheers!” come the shouts.
“We’ve got plenty more food,” Dad says after the applause dies down. “So please help yourselves. Marjorie’s cake will be out soon as well, and you all know she does it up right. So eat, drink, and be merry, and we’ll have some music in a little while. Thanks to all of you for coming!”
I make my way through more congratulatory hugs. Why are people congratulating me, anyway? I left a partnership track in a global firm to come here and work for pennies.
